The Reiteration Conundrum
by megfsc
Summary: After they declare their love, Sheldon and Amy must deal  in their own ways with not only what they hope for the future, but also with the meaning and implications behind such a big step. In other words,"What comes next?"
1. Chapter 1

*****Note: This is a sequel to The Coccinella Correlation and The Neurochemical Analysis. This will alternate between Amy and Sheldon's POV. Please enjoy! :)**

Amy sat apprehensively on the now too familiar couch at Sheldon and Leonard's apartment, watching everyone as they were gathering to begin eating dinner. As she stealthily observed the gang, she noticed that it seemed like any other evening—any other dinner. Leonard was rambling on about his painfully derivative research while Penny gazed on dreamily, no doubt trying to pay attention to Leonard while casually eavesdropping on Howard and Bernadette's conversation about the upcoming wedding. Raj sat quietly toying with his new phone to which he seemed way too attached. Then there was Sheldon; sitting in his spot, generously offering an occasional head nod to Leonard while obviously focusing his attention on some problem or equation far more important to him. Yes, it seemed that the universe was in order and no radical changes had been made. However she knew deep within her that this shallow observation was an utter delusion. Her world had indeed been shaken—radically altered, and the tranquil demeanor that she outwardly exuded was a massive misrepresentation of the frenzy that was moving rapidly inside of her. It had been one week since that night that she would never forget; Valentine's night—the night when her boyfriend, Sheldon (_Sheldon…her boyfriend!)_ told her that he loved her.

One week ago she felt her world shift, and yet nothing outside of her had shifted. It was almost as if nothing had happened at all. This was the first time the whole group had been together since Valentine's Day, and nobody had said a word about this development. She was sure that they were all aware because she texted Penny immediately when Sheldon left her apartment that night after their dinner, and news always travels fast with Penny at the helm. Why was nobody talking about this? More importantly, why hadn't _Sheldon_ mentioned anything to _her_?

They hadn't seen each other since that night either. The day after that wonderful Valentine's night, he informed her during their morning Skype session that he was on the verge of a major breakthrough and would be devoting much more time to his work. So they had practically been strangers all week, only communicating through text message and brief nightly chats. Not once within their conversations were the events of that night mentioned. She wanted to give him the space and opportunity to bring up the discussion on his own time, but she began to worry when he left it out of his weekly relationship review email. Despite her concerns, she still expected him to greet her warmly and brag about their news to everyone. Alas, he just sat there stoically.

She had been looking forward to this all week. This was her and Sheldon's chance to announce their love and proudly claim their title as an ultimate power couple. Why was she being stripped of this glory? She began to calm her thoughts as she continued to pretend listening to Leonard's insipid research details. She glanced over at Sheldon who was at this point bickering with Leonard. He noticed her looking at him, and quickly shot her the tiniest smile. As her apprehension melted away at his smiling eyes, she let her mind drift back to that night one week ago:

When they had left her apartment that chilly evening, she was on top of the world. A man was actually in love with her, though it was not the first time. Her beckoning pelvis _had_ stolen the hearts of many a man in the past. But this was different. She knew that it wasn't her pelvis that Sheldon was after. No, he wanted her mind and she wanted his mind (among other things) with the same intensity. She too declared her love that night…_that night_.

_Oh that night_, her mind shifted—if she didn't have such an objection to the fields of mysticism and sorcery, she would even describe that night as _magical_. He let her hold his hand as they walked to an upscale restaurant and sat amongst a giant display of roses and balloons. Sheldon quickly pointed out that it was a fire hazard and insisted they go instead to the Cheesecake Factory. How romantic it was for him to consider their safety while upholding sensible Pasadena city fire coding laws! Over dinner they discussed the latest advancements in neurobiology, and even entertained the idea of a collaborative experiment. She remembered Sheldon's smile that seemed to be glued to his face. She had never seen him so happy, so witty, and so relieved. But if he was so happy about the progression of their relationship, why had he been avoiding the issue all week? Why had he not mentioned it to the group? Why did it feel like little had changed? Why hadn't the—

"Go on, Amy!" Sheldon yelped, bringing her thoughts to a halt.

"Excuse me?" Amy replied, shaken.

Sheldon shook his head in disapproval. "I see that your fraternization with Penny has corrupted your attention span. I was afraid it would come to this."

Smiling, Penny shot Sheldon a gesture with which his Christian upbringing made him uncomfortable.

Rolling his eyes, Sheldon continued. "Anyway Amy, I was telling everyone that you mentioned to me on Facebook that you had some big professional news to share tonight. _Go on_, let's hear it."

Clearing her throat, Amy began nervously. "Oh yes, indeed I have some news. The California Science Center in Los Angeles is hosting a Scientific Nightlife Event. It's a night club atmosphere with a DJ and dancing and alcohol, all within the confines of an open and functioning science museum. It's a true melding of the worlds of geniuses and the drunken underlings of society! Best news of all is that I am going to be the headlining biologist giving lectures and presenting my research that evening. I am going to be presenting my findings on primate addiction while attempting to keep my rhesus monkeys away from the open bar, what fun irony!"

"Well…that's _great _news, Amy." Leonard added with a slight upward inflection.

"No, you haven't even heard the best part," Amy interjected, "Being that I am the star of this shindig, I was able to reserve VIP tickets for you all! It's next Thursday, so dress for a party and don't make any other plans!"

The room erupted with cheers and mumblings of outfits and dance moves and-

"_Wait a minute_," Sheldon whined, "Next Thursday is Anything Can Happen Thursday. We're going to sneak into the Geology department and carve cryptic messages into their rocks, remember? There's no way this can be any more fun than that."

"Oh hush, Sheldon" Penny groaned, "This is going to be fun and science-y. You should give it a chance. You might just enjoy yourself."

"Sheldon, it _is_ going to be fun." Amy added, gently placing her hand on his knee. "It's going to be a party where we are the cool kids, and I'm going to be a rock star", she gleamed. "I want you to go with me as my date. We can enrich our minds so we don't feel guilty about throwing caution to the wind and dancing the night away".

Sheldon's eyes darted immediately to her hand on his knee. He quickly pat her hand and stood up. Pursing his lips and taking a breath, he began "First of all Amy, you know I don't dance."

Bernadette spoke up, "I don't know about that Sheldon. I seem to remember some sexy moves from you!"

Howard looked at her puzzled, causing Bernadette and Penny to burst into laughter.

Now annoyed, Sheldon replied "I'm sorry, but your alcohol soaked memories seemed to have clouded your notions, Bernadette. I _do not_ dance."

He continued. " I also do not drink alcohol, carouse with those who are drinking alcohol, or find any interest in placing myself in a darkened noisy room filled with hoards of sweaty intoxicated people, whether I am in a science museum or not."

Amy was afraid this would happen. However after spending nearly two years with Sheldon, she knew to always come prepared with a plan.

"I see." Amy replied dropping her head. "Well tell me this Dr. Cooper, do you support your girlfriend in her professional development?"

Sheldon's eyes quickly darted up connecting with Amy's. He was taken aback by her question. "_Amy,_ you know that I—"

"All I know Sheldon is that you have agreed to observe the guidelines that _you, yourself_ have put in place within the parameters of the Relationship Agreement." She pulled a copy of the agreement out of her messenger bag.

"According to Section 8.4b, and I quote '_Any and all ceremonies, parties, or events that serve to further nurture professional development of the boyfriend or girlfriend shall be attended and/or observed by the respective partner.' _"

She moved towards Sheldon, presenting the page for him to read. "Do you remember writing that section, Dr. Cooper?"

"Well that's a silly question, of course I remember. You know I have an eidetic mem—"

"Answer the question, Dr. Cooper." Amy smiled.

"Yes, I do." Sheldon said begrudgingly.

Amy continued, "And are these in fact your initials indicating that you do agree to observe and abide by that section?"

Sheldon, in defeat, replied, "Yes, they are."

Amy perked up. "So Sheldon, will you please be my date and support my professional endeavor?"

Sheldon raised his head to establish eye contact and replied with his koala face. "I suppose that I will be there."

Amy gave him a warm smile and sat back down on the couch, satisfied with herself. Her worrisome thoughts faded away as she took comfort in her and Sheldon's practical dynamic. Perhaps things were okay after all.

After a moment of silence, the room erupted with applause and laughter.

"My God, you _are_ the Sheldon-whisperer!" Howard said in awe.

Sheldon glared at Howard, but curiously did not go on to protest.

The remainder of the evening was filled with excited speculation about the event dotted with occasional interruptions by Sheldon, trying (unsuccessfully) to change the topic of conversation to a more suitable one, like the hidden conspiracy that's on the brink of bringing the model train community to its knees.

As the night drew to a close, Amy got up to leave. Feeling confident from her earlier win, she decided to take a chance on testing out the status of her recent relationship development.

After saying her goodbyes to the rest of the group, Amy slowly walked to the door as Sheldon followed, as usual.

"So Sheldon, can I assume that you will be maintaining your current demanding work schedule?"

"You are correct in your assumption but rest assured, I am very close to the reaching the breakthrough of my career; and once I do we can reestablish our previous successful dating schedule, after a suitable celebration period, of course", Sheldon replied with a starry-eyed smirk.

"_Of course_." Amy smiled warmly.

Placing his hands behind his back and slightly leaning forward, Sheldon began softly. "Okay then, good night Amy."

"Goodnight Sheldon." Amy paused. "I love you."

All other conversations in the room screeched to a halt as all eyes were suddenly on Sheldon, whose hands were noticeably trembling.

After taking a second to calm his nerves, Sheldon tilted his head and stepped back slowly.

Taking a hurried breath, he replied with a high pitch, "Amy, I have explained to you that we cannot come to that conclusion until we receive the results from your repeated brain scans; but even if we had those results, why would you say…" Sheldon took a second to focus his thoughts and continued while leaning closer to Amy, almost whispering "…that you love me after already making it clear on our previous encounter?"

"Sheldon, first of all, you and I both know we don't need the results of those brain scans. You know that I love you; I told you so last week. You seemed fairly happy about it then, but we have not discussed it any further since. You haven't even made any changes to the Relationship Agreement. So now I am taking the initiative and moving that as a gesture of our love, we begin to say it to each other often, for example when we part for the evening or perhaps before terminating a telephone conversation."

"Okay, I'm going to have to stop you right there," Sheldon interrupted. "The Relationship Agreement has not been amended because the purpose of the agreement is to set rules and guidelines to govern our _behavior_ in this relationship, not our emotions. An amendment is unnecessary because I don't see why our behavior has to change just because of an upgraded emotional status. Furthermore, reaffirming our feelings to each other is just silly and redundant. There are countless better ways to spend our time together. Remember just last month when I taught you how to throat sing?"

"Yes", Amy replied, averting her eyes.

"Well tell me this," Sheldon began smugly "Would we have won top honors at the National Overtone Singing Enthusiast's annual luncheon if instead of practicing, we spent the evening repeating our feelings to each other? _I think not!" _he smirked in derision.

Actively trying to remain calm, Amy replied, "Sheldon, I believe you are missing the point here. Ever since last week, it seems that our relationship has not progressed at the rate I had expected. I understand you are preoccupied with your work, but I would appreciate some effort in observing the significance of the events of last week. You told me that you loved me, and it's important to me that you _act like it_." She grabbed his hand.

Sheldon closed his eyes and took a nervous gulp. His mind was conflicted with a sea of thoughts. The thought of the germs on her hand terrified him, but he didn't want to let go. He gently slid his thumb across her wrist, holding on tightly. His heart began to race as he felt her fingers curl underneath his own. Despite his heartbeat and the sudden heavy, consuming feeling in his stomach, her hand seemed to ground him, to comfort him. But no, he couldn't let himself be comforted now. He couldn't give in to her logic. Not this time. Not about this. He released her hand slowly, hesitantly, before tensing up his entire body—placing his hands at his sides, fists clenched.

Softly and stoically, he began "I still don't see why I have to change my behavior and reaffirm my feelings to you in such a banal display. That is where I stand on the matter, and I request that we end all further discussion."

Amy looked up at Sheldon with the beginning of a tear in her eye. Stifling herself she replied, "Very well. Goodnight Sheldon. I _do_ love you."

Shaking his head slowly with his eyes closed tightly, Sheldon opened the door. "Goodnight, Amy."

Amy stood on the other side of the door for a moment. She couldn't physically move until she mentally processed what had just happened. _Why did she do that? _She knew that Sheldon would be fragile after the events of last week. She _knew _that with him, she had to maintain firm boundaries and not place too much on him too quickly. How foolish she was to push him! _She knew better_.

She decided she needed to go back in there and make things right. Just before knocking on the door, she overheard Penny yelling.

"Sheldon, what the hell did you just do? I will never understand. You came home last week happier than we have ever seen you. But instead of taking this night to celebrate with your girlfriend like _a normal human being_, you made us promise to keep quiet, AND you shut poor Amy out at every turn! Sweetie,_ what _is going on with you?"

Through the door she could hear some indecipherable mumbling followed by Sheldon's voice booming.

"This IS NOT up for discussion. I ask that everyone leave NOW!"

As she heard a distant door slam shut, she took a deep breath and began to descend the stairs towards home.

*****Okay, I promise there is at least one more chapter coming soon, I would never just leave it there! It kind of made my heart hurt just stopping where I did. There is some good stuff coming, so stay tuned! Thanks again for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

*****Thanks to everyone for your reviews! I really enjoyed writing this next chapter. One of my favorite things to do is get inside Sheldon's mind, so please enjoy...and let me know if it makes sense (not that his mind ever really makes sense lol) :)*****

Sheldon's eyes burned as he defiantly focused them on the outlines of various items in his darkened room. As he traced the outline of his closet door, he found comfort at the thought of his new clothing organization system. Focusing on his dresser made him excited about his upcoming quarterly socks and underwear cataloging update. His blissful thoughts were interrupted as he actively fought the urge to moisten his eyes by shutting them. He refused to succumb to his body's weak will. Now holding his eyelids up with his fingers, he tried one last time to focus his attention on his comic book collection. He mentally reviewed his ingenious filing system, ignoring the nagging thought of his retinas feeling like they were on fire.

_No Cooper…Don't you give up! You are stronger than this—_

"Drat", he whispered as his eyes involuntarily shut with a vengeance.

He had been trying to avoid closing his eyes all evening as he lay awake in bed. With his eyes wide open, he could visually focus on the contents of his room—his cherished possessions—the products of his carefully structured life. But when his eyes were closed all he could see was Amy. The tear in her eye—her hand clutching his—the look on her face when she left his apartment that evening. It was almost too much to bear.

With his eyes closed tightly, he tried to push the relentless thoughts of Amy out of his mind.

_Model trains…neutrinos…paintball strategy…Lego fun time…_

He quickly realized the futility of his efforts, as Amy's face took over his eyes, and her words accosted his ears.

He took a deep breath. The truth was that despite his protests, there was nothing else he would rather be thinking about. He knew that he would never get to sleep anyway with her residing in his mind—though it certainly wouldn't have been the first time he lost sleep at the thought of her.

He shifted his mind back to Penny's question—the last question he heard before barricading himself in his room and foolishly attempting to go to sleep.

She asked, "Sweetie, what's going on with you?" with her usual backwoods charm.

It was hard to fault Penny for her question though, because it had indeed been the predominant one on his mind all week.

He thought about the last seven days that he spent "thrown" into his work. He maintained minimal contact with Amy and spent hours at his office at the university coming upon the verge of a major breakthrough in particle physics—and he was almost there. He took a moment to bask in self-satisfaction. But darn, there she was again. He couldn't even inflate his own ego without Amy creeping in! The truth was that he would've been lying to himself if he didn't acknowledge that the exhilaration from that evening last Tuesday—the evening he learned that a woman was in love with him—helped to spur his brilliance and had something to do with his recent intellectual surge.

Surged as he may have been though, once he began plunging deeper into his work this week—settling into his all too familiar niche—Dr. Sheldon Cooper began to panic. Everything felt different—_changed._ He didn't just have a girlfriend (if that wasn't bad enough)—now he had a_ love_. What did that even mean? This was indeed uncharted territory. There was no system, no structure, no guidelines set in place for loving a woman. The Relationship Agreement in which he had found so much comfort now seemed obsolete. How was he supposed to learn to operate within this new paradigm? He so enjoyed his _current_ relationship with Amy. He had never met a woman that made him feel so comfortable. He just couldn't understand why things needed to change…

…and yet, perhaps they wouldn't have to. At least that was what he told himself this week while he devoted all of his attention to physics. Though the real reason he had avoided Amy had little to do with his work. He was panicked at the thought of what the admission his love meant for the future of their dynamic.

Attempting to calm his racing thoughts, he remembered how pleasantly surprised he was when Amy didn't seem to mind their infrequent contact as the week wore on. Perhaps she didn't expect a monumental change either. Yeah—perhaps everything would be good—_better than good_—just as it was. He supposed that he shouldn't be too surprised. Amy was the most level-headed, logical woman he knew. It was one of the many things he lov—

He stopped mid-thought as he slapped both of his hands to his cheeks.

"Admired" he said out loud. It was one of the many things he _admired_ about her.

Quickly switching back his mental gears, he remembered how confident he was in the hopeful theory that perhaps she didn't need anything to change. His confidence only grew as he went about the evening with her and the entire group, acting as if nothing _had _changed. Everything felt safe…felt comfortable. Of course all of that safety was quickly swept away when she casually told him she loved him—_right there in front of everybody_! In that moment all of the panic, the uneasiness, the tachycardia, and all other unnerving symptoms that he associated with that Valentine's night came roaring back to him.

When he heard those words come out of her mouth, he knew that he had no choice in the matter. Things _had to change_. The undeniable truth was that they already had, if he were to believe his spinning, clouded mind.

_But none of that should matter,_ he thought as he laid there and angrily bit his lip.

He was Sheldon Cooper. He was in possession of one of the most brilliant minds the world had ever seen. How could he sit back and allow this gift to humanity be clouded—no, _corrupted_—by these debilitating feelings. It was enough for him to let it happen once—the first time he heard Amy tell him she loved him. Must he suffer through that agony, that panic, that frustration…

He sighed and with a soft smile.

…that pure joy, oh, that exhilaration, that warmth, that indelible adrenaline ru—

"No, NO!" he moaned out loud, tightly clutching his new Justice League sheets.

Picking up in thought, the _agony,_ and the _frustration_!

"The _confusion"_ he whispered with a sigh.

He loathed these feelings that consumed him. Since when has Sheldon Cooper been consumed with _feelings_? Why should he have to go through that torture—that lack of control—after they part every evening, or at the end of every phone call, or just whenever she felt like it?

She should understand that his brain cannot be bothered with such distractions. He was _right_ to stand his ground and deny her silly "I love you" reiteration. He did the _right thing_! Generations from now, humanity will look back at this moment in awe. This was the moment Dr. Sheldon Cooper (supreme overlord and savior of the human race) maintained full possession of his mental faculties. This was the moment Dr. Cooper would look distraction straight in the eyes and—

His feverish thoughts stopped cold. His eyes finally opened wide as he took a deep breath and sat up in his bed.

"_Her eyes_" he whispered.

Suddenly, he could think of nothing but the tear forming in her eyes as she left the apartment—and the look hidden behind that tear. He didn't know how to process that look, but it wasn't one that required processing. It was clear by the feeling of his stomach dropping upon seeing that look—that it was one of pain. _He_ was responsible for her pain? That couldn't be true. Yet he was unable to find a more suitable rationalization.

"Oh, dear _Lord_!" he thought out loud. "She's probably home stringing that miserable harp right now."

He decided then, that he had to make this right. If he apologized, then she wouldn't be hurt, and once she calmed down she would then certainly be open to his impermeable logic. Then all of this maddening " I love you" nonsense would stop and things could truly go back to normal—_to better than good_.

Confident in his fool-proof plan, he grabbed his phone and began to text:

_Amy-it seems that the events of earlier this evening have inadvertently caused a_

He sighed as he backspaced. There was no way she would ever buy that. With a deep breath and a tiny nervous smile he quickly texted:

_I'm sorry Amy._

It seemed to be only seconds after hitting "send" that he received a reply.

_That's quite alright. You are forgiven._

He took a sigh of relief and let a wide smile sneak across his face as he lay back down in bed. He _knew_ that she was sensible—logical. This would all be resolved soon and things could just—

His victorious thoughts were soon interrupted by the vibration of his phone on the nightstand. He sat up to check the message.

_You should know that I'm not giving up on you…goodnight Sheldon. I love you._

He dropped his phone quickly on the bed as if it was on fire. There were all of those horrid feelings again. He felt a panic attack coming on. Struggling to catch his breath, he realized that the changes _were_ inevitable. He was back to square one. What _on earth_ was he going to do? He knew one thing—there was no way he was going to be able to sleep tonight. He arose from his bed shakily. He was going to need a warm beverage.

###

On his way to the kitchen, he noticed Leonard and Penny on the couch committing numerous crimes against the Roommate Agreement (not to mention common decency). _Was this the hell his mother always warned him about?_

"Oh _God_, not on my spot!" Sheldon cried.

Startled, Leonard and Penny snapped to attention.

"Sorry Sheldon," said Penny sheepishly. "It won't happen again."

"You're darn tootin' it won't happen again!" Sheldon replied in near panic. "Might I remind you, Leonard, that the Roommate Agreement clearly specifies 'No coitus in the common areas.'?"

Leonard rolled his eyes. "Sheldon, we _were not_ having coitus. We were just…messing around." He smiled.

"Is that right?" Sheldon shot back with his hands on his hips. "Well then I should also remind you that the Roommate Agreement also clearly specifies 'No _messing_ of any kind should be done in or _around_ my spot."

"Oh, _come on!_" Penny laughed in disbelief.

"No, no" Leonard said, defeated. "He's right. That _is_ in the Agreement."

Sheldon nodded matter of factly.

Leonard began begrudgingly. "We're sorry Sheldon."

"I forgive you". Sheldon replied. "Just know that this is your second strike this quarter."

"Noted." Leonard replied. "And hey, what are you doing up anyway? It's past midnight."

Before Sheldon could answer, Penny cut in.

"I know exactly why! You couldn't sleep because of what happened with Amy, could you?."

Sheldon rolled his eyes as Penny continued.

"Please Sheldon, before you hurt that poor girl…"

Sheldon looked up. He was suddenly paying attention.

"…tell us what's really going on with you. You were so happy a week ago. What happened?"

Sheldon walked towards the couch with his warm beverage, but after he remembered what had just gone down on his spot he decided to continue from the island in the kitchen.

"Fine" he began. "I suppose the advice of the common folk couldn't hurt. I told Amy I loved her last week as you know, but I don't want any changes to be made to the parameters of our currently established relationship."

Penny smiled sweetly. "_Honey_, change is a _good thing!_ It's an exciting thing!"

Sheldon squinted his eyes and pursed his lips. "Leonard, please do something about her!"

Holding back a slight laugh, Leonard began. "Penny, Sheldon doesn't _do_ change very well. I've had to call his mother every time Xbox has updated its main menu format."

Sheldon jumped in. "Don't get me started on that, Leonard. Microsoft has yet to respond to any of my letters, emails, or phone suggestions!"

With a sigh of frustration, Leonard continued. "Sheldon, never mind that. What exactly is it that you don't want to change?"

"Ah" Sheldon took a sip from his tea. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Leonard. You don't house a brain that only comes around once in a generation."

Leonard smirked dryly while clenching his teeth. "Try me."

"Very well," Sheldon replied. "I'm afraid Amy is going to distract me from my work. My brain is designed to solve the mysteries of the universe. How could I cloud my focus with something like love?"

"Wait a minute," Leonard interrupted. "When you came home last week on Valentine's night, you kept going on and on about how Amy inspired you. How could she inspire you and hold you back at the same time?"

Sheldon shook his head. "Again, I don't expect you to get it, but I will try to explain it in a way even you could understand. Yes, Amy inspires me—she does so daily—but I am trying to achieve brilliance. Brilliance requires a lot more than inspiration. It also takes focus, logic, and discipline. Those are the things that I fear I might come to lack if my brain is also devoted to loving Amy."

Penny tilted her head and began sincerely. "Well what are you going to do, Sheldon?"

He walked around to the front of the island. "I don't know. I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can win a Nobel Prize with Amy by my side. I don't know if I can love science and Amy simultaneously. I just don't know."

After sitting in silence for a moment, Leonard began, "Wait just a minute Sheldon. I think you are forgetting that you _are a scientist_-a damn good scientist."

Sheldon scoffed. "Come now, Leonard! Even if I didn't have an eidetic memory, I would _never_ forget how great I—"

"Let me finish, Sheldon." Leonard interjected. "You are a scientist, and you say you don't know about this stuff with Amy. What does a scientist do when he doesn't know something? Does he sit around and whine about not knowing? No! He devises an experiment and tests a hypothesis until _he does know_!"

Sheldon set down his cup, and seemed to be thinking.

Penny interrupted his thoughts. "That's all great Leonard, but how is he supposed to test whether he can win a Nobel Prize with Amy around?"

Slightly deflated, Leonard replied, "Well, I…I don't know, but—"

Grinning, Sheldon interrupted loudly, "Oh my, I've got it! It's brilliant! I'm a_ genius_!" He quickly ran back into his bedroom. He knew exactly what he needed to do.

Confused, Penny began. "What do you think he's going to do?"

Leonard laughed. "I don't really care—as longs as he's not paying attention to what we do or don't do on or around his spot."

With giddy laughter, Leonard and Penny went on to violate various sections of the Roommate Agreement—as Sheldon was far too busy to notice.

###

Amy sat up in her bed. She found herself again drawn to the rapidly rotating blades of her ceiling fan. She was so happy that Sheldon apologized for his hurtful behavior, but she worried whether or not he understood the real problem. What _was_ the real problem? It dawned on her that perhaps the real problem was _her_. She had been determined to stand her ground this evening, but she worried that—like those fan blades—she was pushing Sheldon too fast. She supposed she would just have to wait and see how he reacted. She nervously smiled as she continued to stare at those fast, fast fan blades. Of all of the things that Sheldon was for her, the one thing that her handsome man wasn't—was fast.

She nearly jumped out of her skin, as her thoughts were interrupted.

_Knock knock knock, Amy!_

_Knock knock knock, Amy!_

_Knock knock knock, Amy!_

Excited and surprised, she ran to the door to greet her boyfriend.

Upon opening the door, she found him standing there with a full duffel bag and a large dry-erase board covered with equations.

"Hello, Sheldon." Amy said, confused.

"Why, hello Amy!" Sheldon smiled.

His smile was contagious. With a grin, she asked, "What's going on? What is all this?"

"Well," Sheldon began, while carrying his bag and board into her apartment. "I have come here to inform you that I am moving in!"

Amy's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at Sheldon, who pulled a binder out of his bag that seemed to read "Roommate Agreement" along with his notary stamp.

Sheldon smiled warmly, "Well don't just stand there, Roomie. I'm going to need your signature!"

*****Thanks again for reading! And as always, I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some feedback. :)**


End file.
